[ role of health beliefs in preventive behaviors of individuals at high-risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus]

Diabetes mellitus is an important health problem that leads to severe complications, is the cause of early death, and is showing an increase in frequency. Development of positive health behaviors is extremely important for prevention of diabetes in at high-risk individuals. This study aims to identify the relationship between health beliefs and diabetes preventive behaviors in individuals at high-risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus in Taft city. A study using the Health Belief Model [HBM] framework was undertaken with 114 subjects of both genders aged 30 years and above from three urban health centers who were diagnosed as at high risk for type 2 diabetes during the screening program. Research tool was a 66-item questionnaire. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation and Mann-Whitney U-test. Of the total, 29.8% of subjects were male and 70.2% were female. Regarding education, 68.4% of the subjects had not completed high school and 89.4% of them was married. Mean score of knowledge and preventive behaviors was 5.80 +/- 2.87 and 5.41 +/- 2.83, respectively such that subjects scored 30.05% of maximum obtainable score of preventive behaviors. There were significant correlations between preventive behaviors and perceived susceptibility, r=0.243[P<0.009], perceived severity, r=0.312 [P<0.001], perceived barrier, r=0.245 [P<0.006] and perceived self-efficacy, r=0.497 [P<0.001]. Preventive behaviors among the subjects at high-risk for developing type 2 diabetes despite the presence of risk factors was poor due to lack of susceptibility, severity, barriers and self-efficacy perception

[ effect of zinc supplemention on glycosylated hemoglobin in type II diabetic patients]

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common metabolic disorders due to partial or complete deficiency of insulin or insulin resistance. The most common problems is uncontrolled diabetes are chronic complication including renal and cardiovascular failure. Zinc as an essential trace element, can affect some aspects of insulin synthesis, secretion and function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of zinc supplementation in diabetes control status in a group of type-II diabetic patients. In this clinical trial, 60 fdiabetic patients [type-II] were divided in 2 groups, randomly. One of them consumed 25 mg/day zinc and the other had 50 mg daily for 2 months. Fasting blood glucose [FBS], 2 hour post prandial blood glucose [2hpp], glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c], and serum levels of zinc were evaluated in patients before and after zinc supplementation. Wilcoxon and Man-Whitney tests were used for statistical analysis. 22 patients in each group with the mean age of 48 years completed the study. Serum levels of zinc in the group with 25 mg/day supplementation didn't show significant change, but in the second group increased significantly after supplementation [160 +/- 30 micro g/dl vs 140 +/- 30, p=0.002]. HbA1c significantly reduced after supplementation [9.7 +/- 1.86 vs 8.9 +/- 1.5, p=0.02]. There were not significant changes in FBS and 2hpp before and after zinc supplementation. Our results indicate that elevation of zinc level in diabetic patients has favorable effect on HbA1c and diabetes control status. It is assumed that some of the diabetic patients suffer from a latent zinc deficiency and this may by unfavorably diabetes control status

[Effect of sour tea [Hibiscus sabdariffa] on blood glucose, lipid profile and lipoproteins in diabetics]

Hibiscus Sabdariffa is widely cultivated in tropical areas and its red persistent calyx is the major component possessing a sour taste that is used in beverages and food colorants. As a traditional medicine, it is claimed to be effective against kidney stones and urinary bladder stones, and is also used for its antibacterial, antifungal, hypocholesterolemic, antispasmodic and antihypertensive actions. We conducted this study to evaluate the effects of sour tea on blood sugar, lipids and lipoproteins. This sequential double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 60 diabetic patients in the Yazd Diabetic Research Center. Patients were assigned randomly into two groups, the sour tea [ST] and the ordinary tea [OT] group. Sachets containing one spoonful of sour or ordinary tea were given to the patients, based on random numbers. They were instructed to consume one glass of boiled water, boiled for 20-30 min, 2 times daily between their meals in the morning and afternoon, for 30 days. Fasting blood samples were taken at the beginning and at the end of the study for measuring blood glucose, hemoglobin A1C, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides, Apo AI, Apo B100 and Lp[a]. Data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical package. A total 60 patients were recruited, 53 of whom completed the study [27 in ST and 26 in OT]. Except for Lp[a] and Apo AI, means of all lipids and lipoproteins at the beginning, were significantly decreased or increased [HDL-C] compared with the related means at of the end of the study in the sourtea [ST] group however, only the mean for HDL-C was significantly increased [approximately 16.7%] at the end of intervention in in the ordinary tea [OT] group. The mean for fasting blood glucose at the end of study did not differ significantly with the initial mean in both groups. In contrast, the mean of hemoglobin A1C was significantly decreased in the ST group. The results showed that sour tea has significant effects on blood lipid profiles in diabetic patients however, it did not have significant effects on blood glucose or hemoglobin A1C. Drinking sour tea can be recommended for diabetic patients

[Quality of life in diabetes type II patients in Yazd]

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects and decrease the quality of life. The incidence of diabetes is increasing and the prevalence of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in Iran is 4.5-6% and in population aged above 30 years is more than 14%. The prevalence of this disease in Yazd is 14.2%. The aim of the present study was to determine the quality of life of diabetes type II patients in Yazd and utilize the results for betterment of the quality of life of the patients. The object of this study was to assess diabetic patients' perceptions of their quality of life and its relation to certain socio-demographic variables. The data was collected by a questionnaire [SF=20] from 120 randomly selected patients at the Diabetes Research Center of Yazd. The data was analyzed with SPSS software and chi[2] test. The age of 40% of the samples was lower than 50 years while 60% was more than 50 years. Diabetes had affected quality of life of patients. The overall QOL, of patients was less than 50 percent.. There was no significant relationship between the level of education of patients and their QOL. There was a significant relationship between the job of patients and their QOL. About 87% of them had neuropathy and 78% had retinopathy. The QOL of patients with complications was lesser than those without complications. The findings of this study can help planners of diabetes management and education programs to identify persons at risk of decreased QOL at an early stage and tailor preventive interventional programs to bring about significant changes in patient's QOL

[Type 2 diabetes and its risk factors]

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and accounts for 90% of all cases. The number of diabetic patients in IR Iran is estimated to be about 1.5 million. Identification of diabetes risk factors and trying to remove them, can prevent or delay it. The relationship between type 2 diabetes and genetic factors is stronger than the relationship in type 1 diabetes. The concordance of type 2 diabetes in identical twins is 70-90%. Obesity particularly visceral is very common in type 2 diabetes. The risk of diabetes increases with increasing age. Prevalence rates of diabetes are strongly different among different ethnic groups. Women with a history of gestational diabetes have a 50% risk of eventually developing diabetes in the next 20 years of their lives. High blood pressure [=>140/90mm hg] could be an early sign of underlying insulin resistance, related to central adiposity. Risk of diabetes in persons with high blood pressure is twice the normal persons. Low birth weight is often followed by accelerated postnatal growth and this may be important for assessing the risk of diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance [IGT] test is typically characterized by hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. Persons with IGT without changing their lifestyles develop type 2 diabetes in 10 years. Insulin resistance has been observed in women with polycystic ovary [PCO] syndrome. It is estimated that 35-50% of women with PCO have impaired glucose tolerance test. Stress stimulates the release of various hormones, which may cause elevated blood glucose levels. Smoking is not a well-documented risk factor for type 2 diabetes. In spite of this diabetes and CHD have many common causal factors. Large-scale prospective studies have shown that smoking is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. However larger scale and long-term studies are needed to clarify the role of smoking as a risk factor of diabetes

Study of four year incidence rate of diabetic retinopathy and its associated factors in type II diabetes patients

It seems that improvement in care and new treatment and screening methods along with better control of diabetes mellitus [DM] has led to a change in incidence of diabetic complications, especially diabetic retinopathy. This study was performed to assess the 4 years incidence rate of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type II diabetes and factors affecting its progression. In this prospective study on diabetic patients referring to Yazd diabetes center, 120 type II diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy were selected. After complete ophthalmic examination, fasting blood sugar [FBS], post prandial blood sugar, triglyceride and cholesterol levels were measured, and height, weight and blood pressure [BP] were recorded. Then the patients were followed with yearly eye examinations for 4 years. Four year cumulative incidence of diabetic retinopathy was 47.5% [95% CI: 38.6 - 56.4]. The retinopathy was mild, non proliferative diabetic retinopathy [NPDR] in 43 [35.8%] where as 10[8.3%] patients had moderate NPDR and 3[2.5%] patients had severe NPDR. Only one patient had proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The incidence of diabetic retinopathy was 5.8% in first year, 20.3% in second year, 24.4% in third year and 7.4% in fourth year. Duration of diabetes, FBS and systolic BP had a statistically significant relationship with grades of diabetic retinopathy, but there was no significant association between age, sex, Body mass index [BMI], triglyceride and cholesterol levels, method of treatment, smoking and diastolic BP with grades of diabetic retinopathy. Duration of diabetes, blood glucose levels and systolic blood pressure are main risk factors of diabetic retinopathy

Study of family history in patients with type II diabetes mellitus

The type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is the most common type of diabetes which is triggered by various factors such as inheritance, obesity, nutrition, immobility and socioeconomic position and especially in people with genetic background. To show whether the disease is transferred from father and second degree relative of father or through mother and her second degree relative. This was a [cross-sectional] study on, 513 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were randomly selected from patients referred to Yazd Diabetes Research Center. 34.2% of patients had mothers with diabetes and in 19.8% of patients, fathers had diabetes. A positive family record among second degree relatives was shown in 29.7% of patients. Diabetes in mothers and maternal second degree families [uncle, aunt] was found to be more common than paternal second degree family [aunt-uncle], indicating that a positive family history of diabetes among maternal families was higher than paternal families and it could be assumed that the diabetes inheritance is more likely to be transferred from mother. More investigations are needed